


while the world still turns

by GrayBlueGreen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, M/M, Time Travel, codywan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25865611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrayBlueGreen/pseuds/GrayBlueGreen
Summary: There really was no excuse for it. A clone commander as experienced as Cody should have known better than to touch the odd-looking statuette sitting on the altar, and it was difficult to say what in the galaxy had possessed him to wander over, as if in a daze, and pick it up. Cody supposed that the strange compulsion could be what the General would describe as “guidance from the Force”; Cody would call it a spell of temporary madness and hope that he would not get too strong a reprimand for his lapse in judgement.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 229
Kudos: 984
Collections: Jedi Journals, Suggested Good Reads





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ok this is my first attempt at putting any non-academic writing out into the world so. i have minimal faith in this but codywan has eaten my life and so I Must Write

There really was no excuse for it. A clone commander as experienced as Cody should have known better than to touch the odd-looking statuette sitting on the altar, and it was difficult to say what in the galaxy had possessed him to wander over, as if in a daze, and pick it up. Cody supposed that the strange compulsion could be what the General would describe as “guidance from the Force”; Cody would call it a spell of temporary madness and hope that he would not get too strong a reprimand for his lapse in judgement.

The moment his hand had brushed against the smooth stone he had been struck with dizziness and a rushing sound drowned out the surprised shouts of his men. Everything spun and went black, and Cody felt the world tilt around him. After a couple terrible moments of whirling disorientation, the darkness cleared from Cody’s vision. For a moment, everything seemed unchanged as he took in his surroundings. He stood in a very dimly lit tunnel much like the one he and a squad from Ghost Company had been making their way through earlier that day. His relief vanished as soon as he finished blinking out the spots glimmering in front of his eyes and realized that although he was still in an underground passage, it looked utterly foreign to him. More concerningly, he was utterly alone.

The 212th had been tasked with investigating and clearing a series of caves on the remote Outer Rim planet Ambria that had, many centuries ago, housed a now extinct Force cult. General Kenobi was, very unsubtly, thrilled with the assignment, as was most of the battalion. They were most likely more excited at the prospect of a rare, peaceful deployment rather than the opportunity to dig around dusty old relics. Cody appreciated a week on a peaceful, seemingly unoccupied planet as much as the next brother, but most of his enjoyment came secondhand from watching the General exclaim over old murals and give impromptu, impassioned lectures about random bits of mosaic and crumbling statues. This was the most relaxed he had seen Kenobi in months, and Cody had been determined to savor the sight.

The tunnels he stood in now had nothing in common with the expansive passages of the old temple. They were lit with a sickly greenish light by evenly spaced lamps, some of which flickered weakly. The walls were rough and the ceiling low, and the whole thing gave the impression of a hastily dug mine. Cody peered up and absently noted that the reading on the inbuilt barometer in his helmet was very high. Likely an underwater mine then. Cody fought down the rising feeling of unease threatening to choke him as he remembered that Ambria had no large bodies of water. Wherever he was, it wasn’t where he had been five minutes ago. Cody took a deep breath. He was the best commander in the GAR, he had dealt with weirder Force _osik_ before. He would be fine. Cody gave a quick glance at his comm, but it predictably gave him nothing but static. Perhaps he was too far below the surface.

There was only one reasonable course of action left to him – he would (quietly – there was no telling who, exactly, was in control of whatever kriffing rock he was on) make his way to the surface and try to make contact with the GAR from there. Or, he amended, at least find food, water, and shelter if he had somehow been Force-tossed into Separatist territory or, Force forbid, Wild Space.

Cody crept down the passageway, prepared to leap into offensive motion at the first sign of danger. He could at least be certain the place was inhabited; the tunnel was illuminated by enough lamps to make work possible, and there would be no point wasting energy keeping the place lit if not for people to use. He did not know how long he spent in that tense silence, constantly on edge. For a moment, Cody let himself think longingly of his squad. Even on missions that required more stealth, there was a great comfort in being surrounded by his brothers, his General’s grounding, serene presence always somewhere up ahead. The commander cut off that train of thought when it started drifting into panic – it would do him no good to lose composure here, where he had no intel or backup. It was perhaps an hour of steadily forging forward before he heard some distant sounds of life. Breath held and blaster at the ready, Cody peered around a curve in the tunnel.

The passage had opened into a wider cave. Its ceilings were much higher than those of the tunnels Cody had walked through, and the walls were shot through with veins of glossy ore. It was at these deposits that sentients from a variety of races clustered, picking at the mineral. Some had power tools, and some hacked away with cruder instruments, pickaxes or hammers. All of them, Cody noted with a sickly swoop in his stomach, had heavy collars with blinking red lights around their necks. _Slaves_ , he thought blankly. Probably not in Republic Space then. _But who knows_ , he sneered inwardly. _The Republic had no problem denying him and his brothers basic sentient rights and sending them out to die in their war._

One of the few uncollared beings, a grimy looking human, was prowling around the room and jabbing periodically at the prisoners with a baton. An overseer, clearly. Cody grit his teeth to stop himself from reacting as the miserable _shabuir_ swung at a cowering old Arcona. Before the stick could connect, it was smacked away by a young human boy who had leapt in front of the blow and was now glowering at the overseer. He was rewarded for his intervention with another strike – this time with the baton activated and arcing with electricity. The boy stood his ground, teeth gritted tight to prevent any sound of pain from escaping.

“Stupid brat!” The overseer spat at him but moved on, clearly disinterested with his lack of reaction. “I’ll have you marked off for no rations today, teach you a lesson about sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.” The man moved on, leaving the still hidden commander with an unobstructed view of the boy.

Cody felt as if all the breath in his lungs had been painfully knocked out. He stared, disbelieving, at the chillingly familiar figure. He would know those sparking grey eyes anywhere – impossibly small and painfully thin, that was still clearly Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, High General of the 3rd Systems Army. The short, scruffy hair was more brown than the auburn Cody was used to, but that, along with the scuffed and grimy pale skin, was clearly a result of incarceration in this hell hole. The clone remained frozen, unable to pry his gaze away even as the boy turned around to fleetingly grip the old Arcona’s wrist and pick up his pickaxe from where he’d dropped it. The boy flinched at a shout from the overseer and moved back to his place near the wall to continue his work. His shoulders hunched and whatever shreds of defiance he had mustered to protect his fellow unfortunate vanished.

The boy’s clothing was ragged and did nothing to hide his too-thin frame. Cody’s blood boiled at the sight of burns and webbed burns scattered over his bared lower arms and, most damningly, around his neck where the metal collar had clearly scraped and torn at the skin. Cody wanted nothing more than to empty an entire round of blaster bolts directly into that piece of shit slaver’s head, grab his little Jedi and tear his way through this entire facility and out into freedom. It took every scrap of willpower to convince himself that that was a terrible idea, and that no matter how good he was Cody was unlikely to be able to fight his way out without someone detonating the collar around the Gene- Obi-Wan’s neck. He breathed in and out quietly to tamp down on the rage and panic welling up in his throat. Reckless plans were not his style – he would leave the foolhardy barreling into danger to Rex and the 501st.

He would have to first find a way to deactivate the explosives – any escape attempt was doomed to fail if all the slaves could be killed with the simple press of a button. Then, once they were free, Cody would figure out what in the kriffing Sith hells Obi-Wan, who looked too young to be out of the safety of his _Jetii_ temple, was doing trapped in an underwater mining facility.

The Commander had to stifle a semi-hysterical laugh at the thought that clearly, the stupid Force rock had thrown him much further than he could have ever imagined. Cody had trouble figuring out nat-borns ages just by looking at them, but his General was even younger than Commander Tano had been when she’d first been assigned to Skywalker, so perhaps 12 standard. There was, of course, the possibility that he had just been knocked out and this was some horrifying nightmare – certainly Cody had his share of terrible dreams of Obi-Wan being hurt, but usually that was the General as he knew him, a full-grown Jedi Master. This all felt too real, right down to the musty smell of artificially circulated air and the acrid stink of sweat and despair that pervaded the mine. For now, at least, he would operate under the premise that he was in the past, even though time-travel seemed too ridiculous to even contemplate. At that thought, Cody could almost hear his General’s soft laugh. _Everything is possible through the Force, my dear Commander._ Whatever it was, Cody would deal with it as soon as he and Obi-Wan were out of here.

Cody watched as Obi-Wan and the other workers toiled at the veins of the mineral for a couple more hours. His nails had bit into his palms until the point of blood from the effort of restraining himself from leaping out and doing something, anything – but patience was his only option thus far. Part of him was tempted to go and search for a control room, perhaps to deactivate the explosive transmitters, but he did not want to risk Obi-Wan being moved while he was away. He would wait until the overseer had given the prisoners a break and then speak to the little General, both to start coordinating a plan (Cody had no doubt that Obi-Wan was already considering a way to escape) and out of a painful desire to give the boy some hope, some sign that he had a friend here, he had not been left alone to die. It tore at Cody’s heart to see his brave, unflappable General ( _his dearest, his_ cyare _)_ so small and on the verge of desperation. Obi-Wan Kenobi was not meant to hide and cower – he was born to stand at the heights of the galaxy, a steady pillar of light that his troops and his fellow Jedi alike would look to for guidance and strength. It seemed unbelievable that the man who laughed in the face of Sith assassins and launched himself fearlessly into endless waves of battle droids could have once been this hurt and terrified little boy.

Cody’s opportunity came when the workers were herded out through a tunnel on the opposite side of the cave to be handed out whatever meager rations they would get for the day. The overseer who had hit Obi-Wan earlier sneered at the boy and shoved him back when he tried to go with them – clearly, he meant to keep to his punishment of depriving the boy of food. Cody was torn between murderous rage and painful relief, because here was his chance to speak to his General.

“And don’t even think to try to run – if I don’t find you here when I get back, I’ll blow your head off, got it?” With that last threat, the overseer left and Obi-Wan was alone at last. The boy let out a ragged breath and sank into what Cody recognized as a meditation pose.

Cody waited just long enough for the footsteps of the departing workers to become faint and distant before he emerged into the cave, helmet tucked under his arm. He moved slowly, making sure to make enough noise to alert the Jedi of his approach. The moment he stepped into view, Obi-Wan jolted from his cross-legged position and sprang up, his hands tensed at his sides and eyes trained warily on the approaching soldier.

“Hey, hey, easy Obi-Wan… I’m a friend,” Cody soothed, voice automatically settling into a cadence he reserved for calming down a spooked shiny after the first battle. He stopped a good couple of meters away from the boy, knowing full well but still pained that his presence was perceived as a threat. A sickly feeling rose up in him at the fear in Obi-Wan’s eyes. “My name is Cody, and I want to help you.”

“Help me?” Obi-Wan’s eyes flicked over the commander’s armor and blaster. “You’re not a slave, but you’re… You don’t feel like one of the guards.” His posture relaxed slightly, but he still looked ready to bolt at any sudden movement.

“No, I’m not one of those _hut'uunla_ pieces of – “Cody cut himself off when the anger in his voice made Obi-Wan shrink back. He fished out a ration bar he kept in one of his belt pockets and held it out to the boy. Slowly, the little Jedi approached close enough to take it from him and immediately tore into it.

Cody stayed quiet as the clearly starving boy ate. A part of him noted that he also hadn’t eaten all day, but his head ached too much for him to work up any desire to eat. Not to mention, Obi-Wan certainly needed food much more than the hardy clone commander. By the time the ration bar was demolished, Obi-Wan looked slightly more at ease and, much to Cody’s joy, did not move to put more distance between the two of them.

“Did you really come to help me? Did…” Here he hesitated. “Did Master Qui-Gon send you?”

Cody grimaced. “No, he didn’t. But I do want to help you, and I will do everything in my power to get you out of here.”

“Then how do you know my name?” Obi-Wan asked suspiciously.

“What – I – Oh, _osik._ Look, kid, just. You’re going to have to trust that I’m on your side here.” _You see sir, in twenty or so years I’m going to be your Commander as you lead the Republic in a massive galactic war, so I’d say I know you pretty kriffing well!_ _Yeah, that would go down well._ Cody distantly noticed a rushing sound echoing in his ears, but Obi-Wan spoke before he could focus on it.

“I do trust you. I don’t know why, but… The Force is telling me to believe you, Cody.”

“The Force – Ok. Fine. You Jedi…” Cody muttered and dragged a hand through his hair. He felt oddly light-headed; perhaps the pressure of the underwater mine was weighing on him…

“I’m not a Jedi.” Obi-Wan said, voice barely audible. Apparently, the look on Cody’s face was appropriately disbelieving because the boy scowled up at him mulishly. “I’m not. They didn’t want me, I wasn’t good enough to be chosen as a Padawan.”

“What? But you said something about a Master Qui-Gon, did he leave you down here?” Cody could barely keep his voice level from outrage. His General, not good enough? What in the Sith hells was good enough then, if the greatest Jedi in the GAR didn’t qualify?

“No! He doesn’t know I’m here. At least… I don’t think he does. I was sent here to join the AgriCorps, but I butted in on Master Qui-Gon’s mission and got caught by people from the company he is investigating… It’s my own fault I’m stuck here.” At that, true misery crossed Obi-Wan’s face and he curled in on himself.

The commander felt his breath catch. His head spun and he felt dizzy, and knew that whatever weird Force shit this was, it was coming to a close. He jerked forward and grabbed the boy’s arms. The world felt fuzzy and unstable around him, and the only thing he could see clearly were his General’s wide grey eyes.

“Listen to me, Obi-Wan, I don’t have much time, but you will get out of this. I’m sorry I can’t stay, but you must know that you will be free, and I will see you again, I promise. You’re going to be a Jedi, you’ll be the best damn Jedi of them all, ok?” Cody’s knees buckled and he sank heavily to the ground. The dizziness was too strong now for him to see Obi-Wan clearly, but it was enough for him to gently knock his forehead against the boy’s. “Hey, don’t be upset, you’ll be fine. You’ve gotten outta worse shit than this, Gen’ral…” He managed to get out, but his tongue felt heavy and his words were slurred and half-incomprehensible.

“Cody! Cody, what’s wrong!” Obi-Wan cried, his painfully young face twisted in panic.

 _S’not so bad, dying like this… Even if it’s not like I imagined, at least it’s by his side,_ Cody thought muzzily, and then darkness overtook him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody's terrible day continues, and its only going to get worse!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys.... i was not expecting this to get as much response as it did, and i am so, so glad it is being well received. i hope you all enjoy another installment of cody being horrified at the shit obi-wan gets into!!

The first thing Cody felt when the ringing in his ears and the terrible vertigo subsided was a sharp rock digging into his side. For a moment he just lay there, wracking his memory for the details of whatever campaign the 212th was currently embroiled in. He was lying prone on a rocky plain, patches of it still smoking from a clearly recent battle. Had he gotten knocked out? Where were his brothers? Cody doubted they would have just left him lying here, the General would have never –

Like a band snapping back into place, Cody suddenly remembered. He leapt up and frantically looked around. He was in the open air, the tunnels and the boy – Obi-Wan – nowhere in sight. Perhaps this was death? Cody shook the thought away; it seemed too cruel for the afterlife to so closely mimic his war-torn existence. Not to mention, his throat felt dry and his head still ached, both as good signs of life as anything. This clearly was not Ambria, the planet he and the 212th had been exploring. It’s beautiful, gently sloping hills had been covered in soft pink grass and pale white flowers. Cody thought longingly of the sweet-smelling air and look of peaceful contentment on General Kenobi’s face when they had landed. If he could imagine an afterlife, that wouldn’t be too bad of a place to end up.

Wherever he was now, the terrain was much less inviting. The flatland was dry and dusty, its only vegetation intermittent shrubs no taller than Cody’s shoulders. One of the bushes was smoking lightly. Cody grimaced; if a fight had happened here so recently, there was a chance it would happen here again, and he was completely out in the open. Without much hope, Cody tapped at his wrist comm. It was, predictably, still only static. He heaved a sigh and began walking. There seemed to be a stone outcropping a couple klicks in that direction. Perhaps he would find people there and start trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Either way, the sun was bearing down on him and finding a place to rest and take shelter was a clear priority.

The distance gave Cody a chance to at least attempt to sort through whatever the hell was going on. Despite the General’s attempts to teach him, meditation did nothing for him – Cody had inevitably spent the peaceful moments quietly observing his _Jetii_ rather than working through his troubles. He always found peace more easily through physical exertion, and though this wasn’t as good as bare-handed sparring in the training rooms aboard the Negotiator, the brisk walk worked well enough for him to chew on his thoughts.

One instance did not make a pattern, but it was telling that he had found Obi-Wan in that mine. Perhaps this was a leap of logic ( _faith, my dear Commander, faith in the Force_ ) that a Jedi would have made, but he was half-expecting to run into Obi-Wan on this barren planet. Surely there was some purpose in that stupid little statuette, some sort of meaning in where it had sent him. It could not be a coincidence that out of all the places in the galaxy ( _and all the times, too, apparently),_ Cody had been sent to his little General. With that thought came the relief of having a straightforward objective. Ultimately, weird Force nonsense was Obi-Wan’s area of expertise; the clone commander felt more at ease with more grounded problems. Cody had been built for his Jedi, and he would do as he was meant to and be by his side.

His thoughts made the journey to the rocks pass quickly, and the commander slowed his pace as he approached. They were much larger up close, and Cody could see piles of boulders and what looked to be shallow caves dotting the rock face. Not a bad place to position a sniper or two. His hand drifted down to his blaster, the back of his neck prickling in a sudden unease. It seemed that he was not alone in treating the outcropping as place to hunker down – according to the heat sensors on his helmet, there were a number of small beings taking cover in the crevices and behind shrubs. He felt that itch of danger, warranted given that there were at least a dozen blasters aimed at him from above. Cody glimpsed a little figure dart from one hiding spot to another, and his stomach plummeted. That was definitely a child. Slowly, Cody raised his hands above his head.

“I’m not looking for any trouble,” he said cautiously. “Just wanted a safe spot to rest for the night, then I’ll be on my way.”

After a few tense moments, the silence was broken by a low, angry hiss and a teenage girl emerged into view atop a ledge. She was followed by a scowling boy with dark hair who trained his blaster on Cody threateningly.

“Where are you from, soldier?” she called out. “Nobody ‘round here has armor that fancy, so who hired you?”

“Who cares who hired him,” the boy spat. “He’s one of the Old, and that means he’s against us. We should just kill him and take his stuff.”

Cody tensed. He wouldn’t – couldn’t – shoot at these kids, but he refused to lie down and die, too. “Nobody hired me. I’m… looking for someone, and it seems he’s somewhere near here. I am not involved in whatever’s going on here, and I don’t want to fight.”

“Likely story! Cerasi, we can’t trust this guy. He’s obviously an off-worlder, who’d he be looking for here?” the boy scoffed. The girl, Cerasi, did not seem convinced. She crouched down on the ledge and peered down at him.

“Another off-worlder, most like. This guy you’re looking for, who is it? We might be able to point you in the right direction.”

“Cerasi!”

“Shut up, Nield,” she barked, without even glancing at the boy. “How about you give us any rations and bacta you might have, soldier, and we can help each other out.” At the mention of bacta, a murmur rose up amongst the other hiding children. Cody was suddenly, painfully glad that he had given in to Helix’s nagging and started carrying around extra emergency medical supplies. He pulled out the stack and tried not to react to the excited whispering at the sigh of it. _What the hell were these kids doing, that the sight of a bit of medicine could bring such joy?_

“It’s not much, but I’ll be glad to give it to you. I’ve got some basic field first aid training too, if you’ve got someone injured, I might be of use.” _Sorry, General, searching for you will have to wait._ Like hell was Cody going to just walk away from this.

That seemed to be enough for Cerasi, because she gave a decisive nod and then scrambled down from the ledge to land in front of him. Nield followed not a second after, face red with fury. The girl whistled sharply, and heads started popping out from behind rocks and shrubbery. Altogether, there were 11 children of various ages, all carrying weapons with disconcerting ease. Cerasi motioned for Cody to follow her and began walking further into the rocky bluffs. Nield and a couple other children tailed them closely, blasters trained on Cody’s back. The rest resumed their hiding spots, clearly staying to keep watch on the pass.

“So, you some kinda Mandalorian?” Cerasi asked. “With that armor and all…” She looked at it a little jealously.

“Something like that,” Cody hedged. “It doesn’t matter. So, who’s injured? I… landed near a battleground earlier today, were you kids out there?”

“You don’t know anything about anything, huh?” Cerasi said wonderingly. Nield gave a disdainful noise from behind her. “This place has been at war for decades. Melida and Daan at each other’s throats, leaving us in the middle to suffer. We’re the Young, and we’re gonna end this stupid fight and bring peace to our planet, whether the Old like it or not.”

As she spoke, Cody glanced around the other children. They had all straightened at the fire burning in the girl’s voice, eyes bright with the same conviction that rang in her every word. Cerasi clearly was a respected leader to these kids, and it looked like they would need one. Cody was no stranger to children being involved in war, but there was something painfully, brutally wrong about a conflict where children had to take up arms against the adults that were supposed to care for them in a desperate attempt to have peace. 

As they entered one of the narrow caves carved into the stone, Cerasi pulled out a torch to light the way.

“So, you didn’t say, who is it you’re looking for?”

Before Cody could respond, a faint voice called out from deeper in the caves. “Nield? Cerasi? Who was it coming up from the plains?” Cody was dashing forward before he could even think. He didn’t register the shouts of alarm from Nield and the other children behind, or Cerasi making a grab at his arm.

Sitting propped up on the cave wall a little further down and clutching a blaster was Obi-Wan Kenobi, looking about the same age as Cody had last seen him in the mines. He was somehow even paler than before, though that could have been because of the blood trickling sluggishly from a nasty cut above his left eyebrow. Cody crashed in front of him, trembling hands already ripping open a bacta patch.

“Cody?” Obi-Wan whispered. “I… Am I hallucinating again?”

Cody had already applied the bacta to Obi-Wan’s forehead and was pressing his water flask into the boy’s hands by the time the other children caught up to him.

“Obi, you know this guy?” Nield asked. He had clearly not appreciated his prisoner making any sudden movements, because his blaster was hovering half an inch from pressing directly into Cody’s temple. Cody disregarded it.

“Sir, what happened? How did you get out of the mines? What are you doing here?” Cody’s head was ringing, relief at finding his General warring with concern at the state he was in. “Did Gene- Master Qui-Gon rescue you?”

Obi-Wan’s face darkened slightly at the mention of the Jedi. “Yes, but that was months ago… Cody, never mind me, I saw you vanish on Bandomeer, half a galaxy away! I thought… I thought I must have imagined you, but here you are.” He glanced over at the children. “You must be real, given that Nield looks about ready to shoot you… It’s fine, I know him.”

Cody’s brow furrowed. He was not expecting to hear the easy authority in Obi-Wan’s voice; authority that was very familiar to him, but at the same time so strange coming from a boy his age. Clearly, Obi-Wan was trusted and listened to here, as everyone relaxed at his words, even the trigger-happy Nield.

“I remember losing consciousness in that mine, then I woke up lying on the field here. That was a couple of hours ago.” Cody grimaced. There was a foul taste in his mouth and his head was pounding dully. “I thought I was dead.”

“You expect us to believe that banthashit?” Nield said. “You know what, whatever. I don’t care. Just cough up those bacta patches, we’ve got other injured. Obi, he’s your problem now.” He snatched the medicine and food Cody held out to him and stalked off further into the tunnels. Cerasi pressed a hand to Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

“You’re sure you’re ok dealing with this right now?” She asked quietly. Obi-Wan smiled at her and grasped her hand for a short moment. She seemed to accept that and nodded at Cody, then followed after Nield.

Left alone, Obi-Wan and Cody sat in silence for a moment, just staring at each other. The boy had a fascinated look on his face, so like his General when faced with a curious puzzle that Cody’s heart hurt at the sight. And earlier, the way even Cerasi and Nield, the clear leaders of the group, all deferred to Obi-Wan… It was a faint shadow of the Jedi Master’s commanding presence, but it was so easy to see how the boy would grow into the man Cody knew. Cody was drawn from his thoughts when Obi-Wan reached out and brushed his fingers against Cody’s pauldron, as though marveling at the solidity of it.

“You _must_ be sent by the Force, but I have no idea why… After all, I’m not even a Jedi anymore,” he murmured.

Cody, who had just calmed down a bit, startled at that. “What do you mean?”

Obi-Wan looked down, a bitter expression on his face. His hand came up to scratch at the bacta patch on his forehead, but Cody gently batted it away. He seemed lost in thought for a bit, and Cody knew better than to push.

“After Master Qui-Gon rescued me from the mines, he took me as his Padawan. And it was fine for a bit… But then we came here, to help his friend, Master Tahl. She was hurt, and he wanted us to leave right away to try to get her help. I told him – “He broke off, staring dejectedly off to the side. “The Young needed help. I couldn’t leave, and he told me I had to choose, them or the Jedi. I chose to stay.”

For a moment, Cody had to stifle the choking wave of rage that rose in him at the thought of the man leaving Obi-Wan behind in a warzone. His vision flickered, black spots edging in on the periphery. “How long have you been here for?”

“Almost three months.”

“And he hasn’t come back for you?” Cody’s voice rose in outrage. _If he hasn’t come back now, he either can’t or isn’t planning on it._ “Obi-Wan, how will you get back to the Jedi?”

“I won’t. I don’t need to be a Jedi to do something good, to help people.” Obi-Wan smiled, the expression a little ghastly on his pale, bloody face. “I made my choice, and I know that I am following the will of the Force. Cody, I can make a real difference here! These people deserve to see peace.” For once, the confidence and faith in his General’s voice brought the commander nothing but dread.

Cody felt sick. This couldn’t be right, the General _had_ to have remained with the Jedi. He had never heard of someone leaving the Order and then coming back, but perhaps it could happen? If it wasn’t possible, then this was Cody’s fault. Something about his frantic words in the deep-sea mine must have pushed Obi-Wan to choose to stay on Melida/Daan a scant couple of months later. Cody’s head was spinning, and he couldn’t tell if it was a precursor to him being thrown out of this time or just nausea at the thought of the Obi-Wan staying here and never meeting the 212th.

“General…” He rasped out, hating the plaintive tone in his voice but unable to help it. “Please, you must be a Jedi… We need you, I need you. A greater war than this is coming, and I can’t fight it without you.” He swayed and brought up a hand to lean on the cave wall. At this point, he recognized the thumping pain in his head and the delirious tilt of the ground below him. There were small hands on his shoulders, and Cody let himself be guided into a seated position. To his horror, he felt his eyes fill with tears. If some mistake of his, some incautious word had ruined the future he came from, he had no idea what he would do.

“Cody? Oh no… Cody, don’t be sad. Please, everything will be alright, don’t cry…” By now, Cody’s vision had been overtaken by a wash of black, but he could just imagine the panicky look on his General’s face. He choked out a slightly hysterical laugh. Of course, he couldn’t talk Obi-Wan out of this. His _cyare_ was so terribly stubborn, so ridiculous sometimes… 

“M’sorry. I’m… passing out on you again. Next time I see you… Please don’t be in a warzone.” With that, Cody surrendered to the spinning of the world.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wherein cody finally gets to rest (for ten minutes, at least) and the boys talk about doubts and feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoy chapter 3!!

This time, Cody’s awakening was much softer than the last – quite literally, as he was sprawled face-down on a luxurious, fluffy carpet. He groaned and heaved himself up, scrubbing at his jaw and trying to battle down the nausea of the shift. He was lying in the middle of a long, well-appointed hallway. The walls had tasteful but forgettable paintings spaced out at unobtrusive intervals, and the carpet was made of a pristine blue velvet – at least, pristine other than the spot of drool where Cody had lain. He grimaced and ineffectually scraped his foot over it in a half-hearted attempt to hide it.

“Excuse me? Sir?” A tremulous voice called out. Cody’s head jerked up and he tensed reflexively, but relaxed when he saw it was only a cleaning droid. It gave a nervous glance at his blaster, then at the mark on the carpet. “Are you a guest here, sir? It is only… it is against hotel rules to sleep in the corridor. Sir.”

A hotel, huh? That explained the faintly soulless design choices. Cody brushed a bit of dust off his armor, jammed his helmet back onto his head and fell into parade rest, fixing the droid with his best Marshal Commander glare. “Do I _look_ like someone who sleeps in corridors?”

The droid squawked and rolled back a couple feet. “Not at all sir! Can I help you with something, in that case? Perhaps a refreshment, or may I direct you to the pool?” The last was accompanied with a dubious look at Cody’s armor.

“You can point me to the front desk.” While Cody doubted he’d be able to just ask for a guest list to check if the General was here, he could at least get his bearings, figure out on what kriffing planet he was on, for Force’s sake. The droid perked up at the prospect of handing Cody off to someone else to deal with, whirled around and made its way down the corridor. The commander grimaced as they passed by a window and he saw speeders zooming by and high-rise buildings stretching up into the sky. It looked less crowded than Coruscant but was still undoubtedly a busy city – that would make finding his General difficult. Certainly, his previous method of “pick a direction and walk” was no longer viable…

Cody was not so lost in his thoughts that he did not hear the soft gasp followed by the slamming of a door as he passed by another corridor. He froze immediately – assuming this was still the past, there should be nobody who would recognize the armor of a clone trooper, so why such a reaction? He stared at the closed door suspiciously and walked up to it, unable to decide whether to knock or not. Before he could even bring his hand up, the door swung open violently. His gaze dropped down to meet the surprised eyes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, looking all of sixteen years old. The teenager startled, his hand dropping away from where it gripped his lightsaber hilt and the tension in his frame draining. Cody gaped at him, too filled with dizzying relief at the sight of the Jedi weapon and Padawan braid to muster up words.

“Well. I’m not in a warzone, Cody.” The boy smiled.

“Small miracles, sir.” Cody responded automatically. “Can’t say I was expecting a swanky hotel, though.” 

“The…benefits of traveling with distinguished company.” Then he turned back to look into the room. “It’s alright, Satine, this is a friend of mine.”

There was some rustling from within the room, then a very young Duchess Satine of Mandalore walked up to peer at Cody over Obi-Wan’s shoulder. Her face had the same haughty, aristocratic cast to it that Cody remembered from the few times he had seen her in his time. She hovered uncertainly behind the Jedi Padawan.

“A friend? I was not aware you had friends who would wear Mandalorian armor.” One of her eyebrows raised judgmentally. “Not quite authentic, though.”

Cody’s lips pressed together to a stifle a sudden urge to laugh. It seemed even the staunchly pacifist Duchess had beskar-price high standards. “It’s served me well enough over the years.” He turned to Obi-Wan. The boy flushed red, suddenly realizing that they were still hovering in the doorway.

“Cody, come in! We shouldn’t be outside for too long anyway.” He gestured back into the room and Cody followed obligingly. “I have been tasked to escort Satine to Coruscant, but we have had… unfortunate experiences with people who would rather she never make it there. It’s why she was concerned when she saw you walking by in armor.”

“Obi-Wan… Are you certain we can trust this man? How did he even find us?” Satine asked. Unspoken was the implication that they were not expecting much friendly feeling from a man in even imitation Mandalorian garb.

Cody glanced at his little General, willing to follow his lead on this one. It was only years of reading the older, more controlled Master Kenobi’s facial expressions that let Cody catch the brief flicker of panic in the Padawan’s eyes.

“It was the Will of the Force, Satine,” Obi-Wan intoned finally, infusing the words with as much dignified, mystic authority as any Jedi could. Cody grinned, thankful for his helmet hiding his mirth. “Now, perhaps I might speak to my friend…alone?”

Satine huffed, gave Cody one last measuring glare, and walked across the room and through a door at the opposite end. She had a sour look on her face that said Obi-Wan would be paying for the brush-off later. The commander took the chance to take off his helmet and got his first unobstructed view of both the room and of Obi-Wan.

It was a lavish living room with one wall made entirely of windows that presumably looked out into the city; they were all, however, covered by thick silk drapes so as to prevent any sniper from having a line of sight into the dwelling. Obi-Wan was clearly serious about safeguarding against any potential threats to his charge. The boy himself looked much better than the last time Cody saw him, on Melida/Daan – he had grown a couple of inches, and his face had lost its gaunt, underfed look.

While Cody had been examining this slightly older version of his General ( _A little jedi Commander, with a braid and everything! Waxer would die of envy when Cody told him._ ), Obi-Wan had already wandered over to a little kitchenette and set a pot of water to boil.

“Please, sit, Cody. You must have just come from… from Melida/Daan, and it looked like you were in pain when you vanished…” Obi-Wan gestured at one of the couches. Cody walked over and sat, surprised at how good it felt on his aching bones. He and his brothers had been engineered for endurance, but it seemed the long-necks on Kamino had not accounted for the Force throwing him through time like a ragdoll.

“It’s not a pleasant experience, sir, but its not so bad now. Just a light headache.” The commander responded. “Sir, I take it… you are back with the Jedi Order? What happened after I disappeared?”

Obi-Wan was silent for a long minute, waiting for the water to boil. He returned to the main room with two cups and put them on the low table in front of the couch, then sat down a couple feet away from Cody. “Yes, I had to… Circumstances made it necessary for me to ask the Jedi for aid, and when Master Qui-Gon arrived he took me back.”

Cody bit back the desire to say something incredibly unkind about the Jedi Master. “Where’s he now, then? If this mission is so dangerous, shouldn’t he be with you protecting the Du- Satine? Or is he off doing his own _osik_ again while you do the actual work?” _Okay, he couldn’t resist._

Obi-Wan shot him a disapproving look. “Master Qui-Gon is still on Mandalore, trying to deal with the tensions there. He sent me and Satine away to safety… It’s just, the ship we were on had to stop for repairs and our trip to Coruscant became… extended. Satine and I have been slowly making our way closer to the Core for over a month now. It has been – hah – eventful.” The boy stared into his teacup, looking a little lost.

“What’s troubling you, Obi-Wan?” Cody had a nasty feeling he knew what it was putting such a forlorn look on his General’s face. His stomach churned, and it was probably only half from the start of his inevitable exit from this time. He waited patiently for the Padawan to decide whether or not he wanted to share. His General would probably have waved him off with a gentle smile and an easy deflection, but this younger version seemed less self-sufficient, more open. Indeed, Obi-Wan seemed to be considering his thoughts. Finally, he shook his head.

“I have meditated on this for weeks, and it’s given me no insight. Perhaps… perhaps it would be a good idea to discuss it…” He smiled at Cody lightly. “And it’s odd, I find you exceptionally easy to talk to.” Before Cody could react to that, the boy continued.

“When I was in the creche,” Obi-Wan started slowly, “I didn’t think being a Jedi would be this hard. I don’t mean the danger, or the pain… I have always known, always felt, in every fiber of my being, that I must become a Jedi Knight. Even… even on Melida/Daan, when I knew I was doing the right thing, I was still so relieved to return to the Order with Master Qui-Gon. I never thought there would be anything that would make me want to _not_ become a Knight, but now… Now there have been two things that have made me consider abandoning my duty.” He gave a longing look at the door where Satine had disappeared and then turned back to Cody. “And unlike before, I know what choice I will make here – I will stay with the Order, because I must, because it is right. But… I am afraid that she will ask me to go with her. I don’t know if I will be able to say no.”

Cody reached out and gently placed a hand over Obi-Wan’s. “You will do what is best.” He kept talking before the Padawan could open his mouth to protest. “Obi-Wan, I am not going to tell you what that is. I can’t do that. But I have faith that you will make the right choice, for you and for Satine, and for the Jedi.” The commander wanted nothing more than to tell his General that he would walk away from Satine, that he didn’t need her, and that he’d be happy with the Jedi and then, later, with the 212th – but he knew that was his jealousy talking, and it would be best for those words to remain unsaid.

Obi-Wan mulled over that in silence for a bit. “You know, Cody, I don’t think that it would impact by decision very much, whether you tell me what happens or not. It’s the oddest thing. It is as if you fade from my memory until I see you again, and then it all become sharp and clear as if we had just parted.”

Cody huffed out a sharp laugh. “So, nothing I say here matters at all?” _It figured._ His head throbbed sharply.

“No! Not at all. Even though I don’t remember in between, you…” Obi-Wan blushed slightly. “You have helped me more than you know. You make my future seem so real.”

Cody coughed and went to drink more of his tea, unsure of how to respond to that. They remained silent for a short while, both mulling over their thoughts.

“You know me as an adult, don’t you, Cody?” Obi-Wan asked curiously, apparently tired of sitting quietly. He pulled one of his feet up onto the couch and rested his cheek against his knee. His piercing gray eyes were still trained on the commander, but the boy looked far more at ease now than at the beginning of the conversation. 

“Yes, sir,” Cody replied. In surroundings as nice as this, sitting peacefully with his General, even his rising headache couldn’t ruin his mood.

“So, it must be odd, seeing me as a child. How old am I where – when – you come from?”

“You’re in your thirties.” Struck with a sudden burst of mischief, Cody reached out and flicked Obi-Wan in the chin. “You’ve got a beard and everything.”

The teenager reared back, eyes wide in surprise and an almost involuntary grin lighting up his expression. “A beard! I suppose I look very dignified then.” He rubbed thoughtfully at his jaw. It was a familiar gesture, but looked much sillier with this young, clean-shaven face. “It’s good to know I survive till my thirties, I suppose. I was getting worried, after this chaotic year…”

Cody supposed the padawan meant it as a joke, but his easy mood fled from him all at once. “You will survive whatever this year throws at you, and every year after it. Please don’t doubt that, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan stared, a little uncertain. “Will it be that bad then?”

Cody thought of his General, his tired eyes and painfully straight back. He thought of Christophsis, and Felucia, and Geonosis, and the dozens of other planets they took back from the Separatists just to lose to a new wave of droids months later. There was little joy to find in the endless, slogging war. But he also thought of rescuing the villagers on Ryloth, and the quiet days spent on the Negotiator, and the beautiful week’s leave they got on Alderaan. “Not all bad.”

“I am sure that at least – “The teenager cut himself off and coughed self-consciously. He fixed his eyes on the far wall and tugged nervously on his Padawan braid. “At least I know that I will meet you, and that is undoubtedly a good thing. Something to look forward to.” 

Cody gaped at him for a moment, feeling heat rise in his cheeks. He knew, of course, that the General cared for his troops – but to hear it said so plainly, without the burden of duty and loyalty, just a simple appreciation for Cody as a person – he would treasure that.

Obi-Wan, clearly flustered by the commander’s lack of response, hurriedly finished off his tea and got up. “Would you like some more tea? Perhaps something to eat?” He made his way to the kitchen before hearing an answer from Cody and busied himself with fishing something out of the small refrigeration unit and setting another pot to boil. Cody watched him silently. His head was ringing, but it was not so bad this time as the last; he felt almost numb, the spinning around him more like the result of a bad hangover than a crash landing.

“General…” He called out. “Come sit with me for bit.” Cody closed his eyes to try to mitigate the dizziness that had taken hold of him, but he could easily feel the Padawan’s weight as he settled on the couch, close enough for Cody to reach out and touch.

“It was good talking to you, sir…” he mumbled. “Wish I could stay here longer.”

“I wish you could too,” Obi-Wan said softly. Cody felt himself tipping over, and his head landed on Obi-wan’s shoulder. Then, the spinning increased, and Cody was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody's half-hour vacation is over we're back to sadness

“Excuse me… Are you alright?” Cody woke up to a soft voice and someone shaking his shoulder. “Do you need medical assistance?” With difficulty, he pried his eyes open and stared blearily at the girl who crouched in front of him, eyes wide with concern.

Cody came back to himself and managed a smile at the girl. She was perhaps fifteen, with dark brown hair and dressed in a rich greyish-green gown. At seeing him awake, she smiled back in relief and moved away enough that the commander could heave himself up, still leaning heavily against – a tree, apparently. He had appeared in a shady garden overlooking a wide and beautiful street, right in the middle of what looked to be a parade. There were dancers, and music, and bright banners flew from ever building. Cody’s brow furrowed. Something about this place was familiar to him – perhaps something in the architecture, or in the abundant greenery that flourished in between each house… The girl cleared her throat politely and Cody dragged his attention back to her.

“I’m fine,” he said, then winced at the painful rasp of his voice. “Just uh…” he cast his mind frantically for an excuse. “Just had a bit too much to drink last night.” _Kriff, he hoped it wasn’t a one-day festival… And that it was early enough in the morning that he could have plausibly just woken up. Well, even if some random girl assumed that he was a drunkard, he could live with that._

Luckily, the girl seemed to accept his explanation. “Well, this is truly a time for celebration, after we emerged victorious from such a tragedy. I am sure you are not the only one in Theed who… overindulged.”

Cody’s blood ran cold. He now knew exactly why this place seemed so familiar to him – the 212th and 501st had spent half a week’s leave on Naboo in the second year of the war, and Cody had spent what time of it he wasn’t swamped with paperwork wandering the temperate planet’s gorgeous capital city. He also knew, with sickening certainty, what victory the Naboo were currently commemorating.

The General was not prone to speaking of his past (and he would likely be mortified by how much of it Cody was getting a first-hand experience of, the commander thought guiltily), but an off-hand mention of his unorthodox Knighting had certain… enterprising members of the 212th looking through his records. It had not taken long for the video of the fight with Darth Maul and the subsequent barebones report to make the rounds of the entire battalion. Cody had brought the full force of his wrath to bear on the troopers who’d found it and were passing it around, but it had been too late. By the end of it, everyone knew that their General had always been a formidable duelist, and that he had been well familiar with grief even before the war began.

“Are you a visitor, sir?” The girl asked, politely not commenting on his brief inattention. “Your armor is unfamiliar to me. Did you come with the Chancellor’s party?” She arched an eyebrow. “I cannot imagine how else you could have gotten so deep into the palace grounds.”

Cody’s eyes narrowed. The girl was more than she first appeared – and now, upon closer consideration, he noticed the concealed blaster at her hip and at least one dagger hidden cleverly in her wide sleeves. Judging by her youth and combat readiness, Cody would wager she was one of the Naboo Queen’s scarily competent handmaidens.

“I am actually here for someone else,” he said slowly. “Would Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi still be in residence at the palace?” He kept his posture unthreatening, but he had to ruefully acknowledge that his appearance was suspicious at best, especially in the royal palace just after a planet-wide invasion.

He had clearly surprised her, but she recovered admirably. “Jedi Kenobi? Are you a friend of his?” She shifted a little where she stood into a more readily offensive position and tucked her hands into her sleeves. Cody would have been heartened to see someone ready to defend his General if it hadn’t been directed against him. As it was, he stifled his frustration at being found before he could wake and put on his most serene sabacc face. He was the Commander of the Negotiator himself – he could bullshit this.

“Yes, I came with the other Jedi from the Temple.” _A risky assumption, but a necessary one._ “I had heard of Qui-Gon Jinn’s passing and wished to come and offer my support. It is simply that…” and here he grimaced; this lie would not go down smoothly. “Master Jinn was a friend, and I could not bear to face his Padawan right away. Yesterday I was… too caught up in my own grief.” He hoped the sour look on his face could be interpreted as sorrow.

For all of her apparent training, the handmaiden was still just a girl – and Cody was clearly a better actor than he had given himself credit for, because her posture softened, and sympathy shone in her eyes. “This must be terribly difficult, I am sorry. We owe the Jedi a great debt, and we grieve that Master Jinn lost his life in defense of our people.” She gathered herself and gestured him forwards with a graceful curtsey. “Come, I will lead you to Knight Kenobi’s quarters.”

Cody gave a passable imitation of a Jedi bow and followed her. They walked through the arched corridors of the palace, the music of the festival outside fading slightly as they moved further in. Cody was sure that any other time he would be happy to wander the royal residence and admire its airy, well-lit halls; but now he was too impatient to get to his General and noticed none of it. He barely had the presence of mind to respond when the handmaiden spoke.

“My apologies, I did not introduce myself. I am Rabé, a handmaiden of the Queen. Please forgive my earlier reticence; we are not yet fully recovered, and it may be some time before the people of Naboo can so easily offer hospitality to strangers once again. Also, I have never heard of a Jedi in armor.”

“Yes, it is unfortunately not a popular choice among the Order,” Cody said, scowling. “There’s a lot of fool Jedi who would do well to wear something more protective than their ridiculous robes.” He cut himself off, a little embarrassed. This was a common point of contention between him and the General, and he knew many of his brothers shared his frustration (especially Bly, who had to deal with General Secura running around exploding battlefields with her midriff bare). They all knew full well how vulnerable the Jedi could be.

“I don’t think there is any armor that could have saved Master Jinn from his fate,” Rabé said, quietly, and the rest of the walk passed in an uncomfortable silence. Cody was almost glad of it – he was sure the handmaiden was lovely company, but he was too tense and worried for Obi-Wan to concentrate on conversation.

Finally, they arrived at a set of doors deep within the palace. Rabé gently placed a hand on Cody’s arm, then made her excuses and walked away, leaving Cody standing uncertainly in the hallway. For all his painful desire to see Obi-Wan, to offer him comfort, the task of opening the doors and confronting his General’s grief suddenly seemed insurmountable. He cursed his own cowardice and brought up his hand to knock before he could talk himself out of it.

“Who is it?” A hoarse call came from inside the room. Obi-Wan sounded like he’d been crying. Unable to bear the pain in his General’s voice, Cody wrenched the door open and stepped into the quarters. They were airy and beautiful, just like the rest of the palace, with a large window that opened onto a sweet-smelling garden. Obi-Wan sat, eyes red-rimmed and puffy, on the main piece of furniture that occupied the room, a large bed covered in lavish silks. He was in his early twenties, perhaps, and Cody could easily see his General’s features in the now more matured face. Beside him on the bed lay a lightsaber and a long red braid.

Obi-Wan’s head had jerked up at the sudden intrusion. When he saw Cody, he gave a wordless cry and leapt forward.

Cody had just enough time to wrap his arms around Obi-Wan’s shaking figure and steady himself lest he be knocked over. “Shh, _ner Jetii…_ It’s alright…” He soothed, his hand automatically carding through the newly Knighted man’s still short hair. Obi-Wan pressed his face into Cody’s neck and wept, quiet and pained. The commander waited it out, making quiet hushing noises and holding his General as he fell apart. For all that Cody hadn’t liked Jinn or thought him a good guardian for a young boy, this outpouring of misery left no doubt that Obi-Wan had loved the man like a father.

Finally, Obi-Wan extricated himself from Cody’s arms and stepped back, then sank onto the bed as if he could not bear to stand. “I apologize, Cody,” he rasped out. “I simply needed – I had to – “

“Enough of that,” Cody chided. “I know.” He knelt an arms-length away from the Jedi and smiled reassuringly. “You don’t ever have to apologize for grief.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes welled with tears again, and he swiped at them angrily. “I haven’t – There has been so much to do, and Anakin needed me to – to step up and be his –“ He cut off with a strangled sob. “Oh, Force, Cody, I can’t be the Master he needs! I’m barely even a Knight, I can’t do this without Qui-Gon, I can’t do this alone…” He pressed his face into his hands, shoulders shaking.

Cody took a deep breath and squeezed Obi-Wan’s knee. “First of all, you damn well can, and you will. I know you, and I know you’re going to pull yourself together, because you’re all that kid’s got. It’s not going to be easy, but you aren’t alone, there are so many people who want to help you.” He paused for a moment, feeling lost and unable to find the right words that would fix this. He knew just as well that there weren’t any words. “I want to help you. You only need to ask, Obi-Wan.”

The Jedi’s leg tensed under Cody’s hand, and for a moment he thought he had said something wrong and started to pull away. Before he could say anything, Obi-Wan lurched forward and – and –

His mouth was pressed clumsily against Cody’s. His lips were dry and chapped, and he tasted of salt. Cody couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think past those sharp, immediate sensations. His head swam and he felt dizzy and frozen and overheated all at once. After a moment of perfect, ringing stillness, Obi-Wan pulled away, hands falling from where they held Cody’s face.

“I – I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have –“ Before Obi-Wan could finish his stammered apology, Cody leaned in and kissed him, one hand gripping the back of his neck. Obi-Wan gave a wounded noise and melted into it, eyes slipping shut. This was better, the angle easier, and Cody never wanted it to end.

It would have been so easy to let the kiss go on, but the more rational part of Cody’s mind knew that would be wrong. He took one last moment to memorize the feeling, the warmth of his Jedi and the taste of his mouth. He broke the kiss reluctantly. Obi-Wan was grieving and looking for any comfort and closeness he could get, and this was not what he needed right now – and hell, it wasn’t something Cody could allow himself to have, either. The migraine that signaled his jumps through time had made itself known and rang dully behind his eyes. He would be torn away in minutes, he knew. Cody brought his hands up to brush away the tear streaks on Obi-Wan’s cheeks and pressed a quick, soft kiss to his forehead.

“Not like this, _cyare,_ ” he said quietly. Obi-Wan took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. “Feel better?”

The Jedi laughed. “Yes. I won’t say sorry, and I won’t thank you – I have a feeling you wouldn’t appreciate either response.” Some small part of the weight that had been pressing down on his shoulders seemed to have lifted and his brow cleared, a semblance of Jedi composure returning to his expression.

“Damn kriffing right,” Cody muttered, lips still tingling from that sudden, perfect kiss. His heart lightened at the return of his General’s wry humor. That, more than anything, assured the commander that Obi-Wan would be fine, even if it took time. Cody’s eyes fell upon the unfamiliar lightsaber on the bed. Some of his curiosity must have shown on his face, because Obi-Wan reached over and gently brushed his fingers over the hilt.

“I lost my saber during the fight. This one was my Master’s. I killed the Sith with it.” Obi-Wan stared at it distantly. “And now it will be my weapon, at least until I can go to Ilum and build another. Force, there is so much to do…”

Cody barely heard the latter half of what his General was saying, his mind stuck on the mention of Maul. He knew it would do Obi-Wan no good to learn now that the Zabrak had survived and would return to terrorize him a decade later, but Cody’s stomach roiled with guilt at hiding something so important. And what would be the point? Either way, Obi-Wan did not remember their meetings. He couldn’t even warn him, couldn’t help him… A spike of pain lanced through Cody’s skull, and he hissed and curled in on himself. His vision blurred and that terrible rushing noise filled his ears. This felt much worse than the previous jump.

Obi-Wan’s pale, callused hands came up to hold the Cody’s aching head and there was a sudden rush of cool energy that dulled the pain to a manageable level. Cody looked up just as the Jedi pressed their foreheads together.

“I know I said I wouldn’t say it, but thank you, Cody, thank you…” Obi-Wan whispered, his eyes shut tight. “I hope I meet you soon. I find I am looking forward to it terribly.”

“Soon, General,” Cody managed to get out, then he was falling into the darkness of unconsciousness. He thought he felt a last, feather-light brush of lips against his, but the world was spinning under him and he may well have imagined it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so i can't write kisses please forgive i tried


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wan: *opens his mouth ready to have a mental breakdown*  
> cody: *plays uno reverse card*

Cody came awake with a groan and dragged himself up from the tile floor he had appeared on. Without giving himself a second to catch his breath, he staggered upright and leaned heavily against the nearest wall. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the awkward conversation with Rabé. He straightened his back, took a deep breath and only then took in his surroundings. Immediately, he let out a breath of relief.

For the first time in his jumps, Cody recognized his location right away. He stood in the Jedi Temple, on one of the upper levels, judging from the birds-eye view of Coruscant he could see through the tall, narrow windows to his left. The sun was just rising over the horizon, lighting the city-planet in pinks and golds and softening the usually sleek and angled atmosphere. The corridor Cody had found himself in was incredibly high up, and he realized with slight surprise that he even knew exactly where he was; just further down the hall was the Council Chamber.

He had accompanied the General during one of their few in-person reports, and he remembered the delight with which Obi-Wan had shown Cody his home. They had spent the rest of the day after the Council session wandering the temple, and the commander had often thought longingly of the beauty and tranquility of it during long campaigns. His General had promised they would return there, explore more than the tiny fraction they had had time for that day; he had said he would show Cody what peace looked like, after the war.

Cody felt struck, suddenly, with a terrible exhaustion and sank back down to the floor. All in all, it had been less than a day since he was launched into the past, but it felt like months. He buried his face in his hands and gave a short, slightly hysterical laugh. None of this seemed remotely real, all of a sudden – he felt unmoored, swamped by thoughts of his General in a slave collar – a child, fighting a grown man’s war – with Satine – then, grieving, reaching out to Cody for comfort, kissing him –

Almost involuntarily, his fingers pressed to his lips. For the first time since that miserable deep sea mine, Cody seriously doubted that all of this wasn’t some elaborate, awful ( _incredible, impossible_ ) hallucination. Perhaps he had fallen, in those tunnels in Ambria, and hit his head. Helix was always warning him that there would be a concussion that he couldn’t just shake off and walk away from, that at one point he’d rattle his skull so bad that there wouldn’t be coming back from it. He could almost hear Rex saying that there was something pathetic in Cody finding head trauma induced delirium more likely than his General kissing him. _Yeah, well, Rex can shove it_ , Cody thought uncharitably.

He stared blankly out the window for a long moment. Even in the breaking of dawn, Coruscant was bustling, speeders and air-trains moving in their orderly streams and billboards flickering brightly between ads and the stream of daily news. If this was a hallucination, it was an incredibly detailed one. Certainly, none of his daydreams had ever matched up to what his General’s mouth had actually felt like, pressed so warmly against his. _And,_ Cody allowed himself one guilty thought, _his imagined Obi-Wan usually had a beard._

Cheeks burning, Cody shook his head and clambered to his feet. Hallucination or not, he certainly wasn’t going to waste more time trying to sort through his thoughts when he could be finding the General. He felt a glimmer of relief that Obi-Wan was unlikely to be in any danger – at least, any immediate danger – in the heavily protected heart of the Order. Though, upon recalling his fool _Jetii’s_ propensity towards injury, Cody suddenly wasn’t so sure. There was a non-trivial chance that Obi-Wan was in the tender care of the Jedi healers, recovering from some mysterious disease or life-threatening injury or the like. Cody started walking towards the lift to make his way down to the Halls of Healing to check, then stopped in indecision. It was odd how much easier it was to start moving when he was in a completely unfamiliar place – the lack of previous knowledge left him with no choice but to pick a direction and walk, but it was much less obvious where to search for his General in the expansive temple. Best to start from the top and move down, Cody reasoned, and turned back to the Council chamber. Even given how busy the Council was at all times, he doubted there would be anyone in there this early in the morning, but it couldn’t hurt to check.

It was a short walk to the Council room, but there was enough time for Cody to remember the uncharacteristic trepidation he had felt the time he’d accompanied his General to give an in-person report. He’d never had an issue with any of the other High Generals individually, or even when speaking to them as a group over holocomm – but there was something solemn, something weighty and ancient about standing in that circular room that perched over the chaos of Coruscant. Obi-Wan had told him it was echoes of generations of venerated Jedi Masters leaving an impression in the Force, all adding up to the atmosphere of peace and wisdom (and, Cody had thought privately, judgement) that enveloped this part of the Jedi Temple specifically.

Cody was about as Force-sensitive as a rock, but he thought even he could feel those centuries of memory weighing down on him as he slowly opened the doors to the Council rooms. To his surprise, there was a figure in the chamber, standing silhouetted by the rising sun in front of the windows and looking down at the city. Cody squinted against the glare, unable to make out who it was – and then the Jedi turned, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, older and clearly a Master in his own right, looked back at Cody, something distant and unknowable in his eyes. The commander’s breath caught – this Obi-Wan was familiar to him, bearded and fully grown, though his hair was longer, almost brushing his shoulders. He seemed to burn in the dawn light, and for a moment Cody was so distracted by the relief at seeing him that he did not know what to say. He stepped into the room and let the door shut quietly behind him.

They stared at each other silently for a moment. They were only on opposite sides of the room, but the distance felt like a yawning chasm. Cody realized with a sinking feeling that there was one more thing he recognized from his General – this Obi-Wan’s back was held perfectly straight, shoulders back, but that picture-perfect posture could not hide the exhaustion and desolation in the Jedi’s eyes.

“So.” Cody said slowly. “The war has begun.” That seemed to be enough to break the strange hush that surrounded them, and Obi-Wan laughed bitterly.

“I have just returned from the battle of Geonosis.” He stared, unfocused, into the distance. “So many Jedi dead, and for what…”

“General – “

“No! No. Please, don’t call me that, not now.” Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped up to meet Cody’s. “I will take up that role tomorrow and set aside everything that I am as a Jedi Knight, because it my duty, because I must. But today – from you – I would like to be called by name.”

Cody hesitated. “Obi-Wan. You have to know that if it weren’t for you and the other Jedi, we likely would have been led by beings who barely treat us as sentients. Compared to what could have been, we are grateful to serve with you.”

“Yes, that was something I had not expected…” The Jedi murmured, looking at Cody consideringly. “To have walked into that facility on Kamino and seen thousands of faces that were so familiar to me – but I did not remember why, until you walked in just now. Jedi Generals, leading an army full of clones, expressly created to fight! I could never have imagined, in all the times we spoke, that the galaxy would come to this.” He paused again, then seemed to forcefully drag his thoughts away from whatever painful direction they had taken. “So, am I to meet you tomorrow, when you report to me with the rest of my battalion?”

“No, I came under your command a couple months into the war… You’ll be working with Alpha-17 until then.” Cody swallowed, a dull pressure pounding behind his eyes. “He’s… a good man. Good soldier.”

Finally, Obi-Wan moved towards him. He stopped close enough that Cody could count each of his freckles, if he’d wanted. He always wanted. “I am sure he is. Though if I must fight this war… I would like to have you by my side.” A curious spark lit in his eyes, chasing away some of the gloom. “I wonder what will happen when we meet? Will I recognize you? Will you know me? It would certainly make for an interesting start to our working relationship.”

Obi-Wan had said it lightly, but Cody was suddenly, sharply overwhelmed by uncertainty. Clearly, the jumps were steadily taking him forward through time – at one point soon, he’d reach the year where he had disappeared. Would that be it? Somehow, he could not imagine it would be as easy as waking up the moment he’d left, all of this fading into memory. Or perhaps, he would have served whatever strange purpose that little statue was meant for and would simply… never wake again. He spared a moment to imagine the remembrance the 212th would read for him. Boil would replace him as Commander, that’d work out fine, probably. Hopefully he’d reign in some of the General’s reckless tendencies.

He only came back to himself when he felt Obi-Wan grip his arms and give him a sharp shake. Cody blearily refocused on his General, everything around him swimming and almost hazy. He sat down to stave off the sensation, which predictably did nothing. The world still spun mercilessly.

“Cody! Cody, what is it? Are you about to be pulled away again?” Obi-Wan crouched down, looking worried. Cody could feel the steady pulse of Force energy wrapping around him. He focused on the sensation, pushing away the burgeoning panic.

“Obi-Wan, I don’t – Force, this would be such a stupid way for me to die.” He laughed. “Marshal Commander Cody, bit it because he took leave of his senses and decided to grab some creepy old cult artifact. Maybe I won’t even leave a body, that’ll be a real kicker. Kark, Rex is going to be furious with me.”

“Why do you think you’re going to die?” Obi-Wan said. His hand was running up and down Cody’s arm soothingly, and the commander briefly wished his armor wasn’t in the way so he could feel the touch. It would have been a welcome distraction from the stabbing pain in his head.

“This thing has been throwing me forward for two decades now, and I think whatever the landing point is, it isn’t going to be a pleasant one. Force _osik_ rarely ends well for us clones,” he said wryly. “I somehow doubt I will be the exception. And you know what’s the dumbest part?”

Obi-Wan shook his head mutely.

“I don’t even regret it. Not much, at least. These jumps have been painful, and terrifying, and they’ll likely kill me when three years of war couldn’t. I really thought I’d go out fighting…” Cody brought up a hand to press against the Jedi’s cheek. “This war’s been shit, but I hope… at least we’re not something you regret, General.” He frowned a bit, his thoughts all seeming to come slowly and out of order. “Ah, kark. Sorry, Obi-Wan, I know you said…”

“No, no, Cody, it’s fine. Of course I do not regret knowing you, how could I?” He brought up his hand to cover the one Cody held against his face. “You must have faith that the Force would not have sent you on this for no reason… I am sure that you will get through this, that you will come back to your own time.” His face twisted in frustration. “If only I could remember this between your visits!”

“Ah, I am sure you would enjoy that…” Cody grinned weakly. “A fascinating research project to occupy yourself with, complete with an ancient Force cult. That stuff’s right up your alley.”

“Yes, well, we each get our entertainment where we can.” Obi-Wan muttered. He pressed his forehead against Cody’s. “I cannot believe that you have gone through all of this only to die at the end, Cody, that is not… It cannot be as the Force wills.”

Cody would have loved to be able to take courage from the General’s faith, but it was difficult when his skull felt like it was splitting apart and he could barely hear the Jedi’s words past the ringing in his ears. Every jump felt worse than the one before, and Cody could well believe that at one point the spinning would one day drag him under and he would never resurface. With that last encouraging thought, he felt his eyes slip closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cody has been building up to this well-earned freakout for five chapters and by god will he have it
> 
> hope you guys enjoyed!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you guys im so sorry

Cody was wrenched out of unconsciousness by a terrible coughing fit that ended with him curled up on his side, one hand pressed against his chest and the other buried in the hot sand he appeared on. Whatever brief glimmer of relief he felt at waking up at all was swept away as he registered his parched, aching throat and the heat that was doing a fair attempt at broiling him in his armor. His whole body was in pain, and it took every ounce of hard-earned discipline he had to drag himself to his feet. He scrabbled at his belt pouches for the water canteen he always kept there, then remembered with a brief curse that he had given it, as well as his rations and medkit, to the children on Melida/Daan.

Apparently, the Force had grown tired of sending him to temperate, civilized locations – he stood alone in a desert that stretched as far the eye could see, two suns beating mercilessly down onto his head. Cody could already feel himself begin to overheat and resisted the temptation to strip down to his blacks. His well-insulated armor would do more to regulate his temperature than anything else could, and he’d only make himself feel worse if he took it off. With that in mind, he fixed his helmet to his head and fell back on his tried and true method of picking a direction and walking until he stumbled over something helpful. _Hopefully the General,_ Cody thought, _though what would he be doing on this pit?_ Though the 212th had endured many a desert campaign, Cody could not remember any in a binary sun system. Perhaps one of Obi-Wan’s frequent solo missions?

Walking across the dunes was an exercise in frustration – periodically, Cody would slip and slide a dozen or so feet down the unstable slope before catching himself and resuming his trek. He hoped reaching the top of one would give him a better perspective on his surroundings, and maybe give him a more educated guess of where he should be headed. The heat wasn’t helping, either – Cody could feel his head beginning to swim from lack of water and exhaustion. Each of these jumps took more out of him than the last, and every bone in his body felt leaden and creaky. _Maybe he wouldn’t even have to wait for the Force jumps to take him out,_ Cody thought a little hysterically. _The desert would get him first._

After what seemed like hours of climbing but was likely closer to forty minutes Cody finally reached the top of the nearest tall dune. He crouched down to get a breather and began taking stock of the area. It became immediately apparent that he’d chosen the right direction – there was nothing behind him but an endless ocean of sand, its rolling dunes reminding him faintly of the enormous waves that would crash against Tipoca City during Kamino’s raging storms. In front of him though, a dozen or so klicks away, were rocky cliffs made of reddish-brown stone that stood out sharply from the pale white sand of the desert. Cody looked longingly at the shade they cast, grit his teeth, and began his descent.

He hoped his General was waiting for him there, or at least he might find some miserable shred of civilization on this dustball of a planet. _Whatever he’d find at those cliffs, there karking better be some water._ Cody knew fixating on his thirst and discomfort would only make it worse and tried to focus simply on putting one foot in front of the other. The miserable journey continued until the suns began to set, and the oppressive heat released its grip on the desert. All in all, he’d been walking for three to four hours at most, but he felt like it had been days.

By the time he reached the cliffs, it was already dark, and the moons had risen. The lack of heat did him wonders but he still felt exhausted and in pain, and he was more than ready to crash somewhere for the night. Cody halfheartedly looked around for a place to lie down, somewhere sheltered and out of sight of any potential predators, but quickly gave up on that. He had a terrible feeling that if he were to lie down and fall asleep, he would not be able to muster up the energy to rise again. Resigned to a sleepless night, he forged on.

Cody aimlessly made his way through the jagged cliffs, for lack of anything better to do. Though he hadn't spent that much time on his feet, he was exhausted, so the sight of a small hut perched precariously on one of the higher rocks filled him with almost indescribable relief. He hoped desperately this was one of those planets that prided itself on its hospitality, and he might be given a place to stay the night, and perhaps some water. Filled with a sudden burst of energy he began to clamber up the cliffside. He quickly found a small, cleverly hidden path through the rocks.

He was only one hundred meters or so away from the cabin when a cloaked figure melted out of the shadows and blocked his way. Cody froze, his hand immediately falling to his blaster. He took it out of the holster but did not point it at the figure, trying to remain unthreatening for as long as possible.

“I don't want to hurt you,” he said cautiously. “I was hoping for a place to rest for the night, or even just some water, or directions to the nearest settlement.”

“Well, that's rather ironic, isn't it?” A painfully familiar voice rasped out. “There was a time when I would have believed you without question.”

A gust of wind blew the hood of the cloak down, revealing a familiar head of ginger hair, gleaming silver in the moonlight. Cody's heart leapt into his throat, and he stared into the cold, flinty eyes of his General. The Jedi looked older, with new lines on his face that looked to be caused more by grief than age. His posture was as straight as ever, though now it looked brittle, as if willpower was the only thing keeping him standing. This was not the Obi-Wan Kenobi Cody knew. 

“Sir!” Cody stumbled forward a couple of steps, wrenching his helmet off his head, then froze as the Jedi activated his lightsaber with a quiet hiss. “It's – it's me, Cody, what are you doing?”

“Oh, I know full well who you are, Commander. Or, I thought I did. I suppose I should ask, have you come to finish the job?” Obi-Wan's voice was raspy, as though he had not spoken to anyone in a long time.

“The job?” Cody's mouth felt dry, both from thirst and a sudden, rising unease. Something was terribly wrong.

“Oh yes, after all, you are a dutiful soldier. I am sure you were unsatisfied, having failed to kill me on Utapau.”

“ _Kill_ you? Obi Wan, what are you – “

“I thought I had hidden well, but I should have known that the ever so efficient Commander Cody would hunt me down eventually. Has Vader run out of easier prey? I cannot imagine that he would delegate this, that he would not come to deal with me in person. Or are there still other younglings for him to cut down? Surely that would be more a job for you and your brothers, as you have proven so good at it.”

“I don't understand,” Cody whispered. The ground was spinning underneath his feet. He thought that perhaps, for one wild second, that he had heard wrong, that this was some terrible trick, that the ringing in his ears was at fault for this nightmare he was hearing. Obi-Wan took a step closer, his face lit eerily by the blue light of his saber. There was not a shred of warmth in his eyes, and for the first time since their initial meeting, the Jedi felt completely alien to Cody.

“ _You_ don't understand? Well, that's a terrible shame. I must say, I too have found myself completely at a loss,” the General bit out. “I was hoping, now that you are here, you might see fit to enlighten me.”

“Obi-Wan, the last time I saw you was in the Council chamber on Coruscant, right after the battle of Geonosis. I have no idea what you're talking about,” Cody said pleadingly, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He wanted desperately to reach out, smooth the lines on Obi-Wan's brow, ease the tension in his shoulders. He checked the impulse, knowing that any sharp movement on his part would lead to him losing a limb.

For a moment, Obi-Wan's expression smoothed, and that sense of banked danger eased. Almost involuntarily, the hand holding the saber lowered. Then, his face hardened again. “So, you haunt me even now,” he said. “I had thought that your visits would end, after the war.”

Cody latched on to that last sentence desperately. It felt like a lifeline, like steady footing when he felt like he was drowning in a dark and choppy sea. “The war is over? Did – did we win?” His head felt heavy, and bile was rising in his mouth. 

This was clearly the wrong question. For a moment, Obi-Wan stood silent, his eyes wide open in shock. Then a ragged, painful laugh tore itself out of his throat, and he almost doubled over where he stood. Cody reared back in horror.

“Did we win!” he said, almost wonderingly. “I suppose we did, from a certain point of view. Perhaps I should say, _you_ did. I, on the other hand, most certainly lost.” The strange, wild amusement disappeared from his face without a trace. “The Jedi Order is dead, the Temple razed. Destroyed by your hand, you and your brothers. I couldn't understand, Cody, when you gave the order to shoot me down. All of you at once turned your blasters on us, as though you had just been waiting for the right moment, for the sign from the Sith to shoot us in the back. How could we have ever expected it?” Something ugly twisted in his face. “After all, we trusted you with everything that we were. How could I have ever imagined that you would betray me?”

“I would never,” said Cody blankly. “I love you.”

At those words, the icy, furious mask fell away from Obi-Wan's face. Suddenly, Cody could plainly see the endless well of pain and hurt that had been hidden under a cracking veneer of control. The Jedi stared at Cody for a moment, opened his mouth as if to say something, then whirled around and almost ran into the small hut behind him.

Cody staggered back and then sank to the ground, his legs no longer supporting him. He buried his head in his shaking hands and stared at the sandy soil he sat on, praying for the world to make sense, for this nightmare to end. He did not know how much time had passed from his present nor what had happened to lead to such a horrific future, but he couldn't imagine there could have been anything that would have led to the betrayal Obi-Wan spoke of. There must have been some mistake, he thought wildly, his brothers would have never turned on their Jedi. It wasn't possible that his General could have been reduced to this, hiding away like a criminal on some Outer Rim desert hell, that the Jedi were all dead. He remembered, suddenly, that Obi-Wan had mentioned the younglings, and fought down the urge to retch.

Cody felt as if his whole body was about to split apart at the seams. The roaring in his ears was unbearable, black spots whirled dizzyingly in front of his eyes, and he wished it would all just stop. If he died now, he wouldn’t – wouldn’t ever fire upon his General, wouldn’t have to live in some twisted, impossible world where the GAR had wiped out the Jedi.

Somehow, through his delirium, Cody noticed Obi-Wan’s return. With a painful effort, he raised his head to meet the Jedi’s eyes.

“You should –“ He broke into wracking coughs, then recovered. “General, you should kill me.” Tears welled in his eyes, and some distant part of him was surprised. He had thought there wasn’t enough water left in his body to cry. The vertigo was about to drag him under, and Cody barely registered the soft thump as Obi-Wan tossed him a canteen of water. His fingers closed around it automatically, his awareness fading.

“Even now, I could not,” Obi-Wan murmured, and Cody gladly surrendered to the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promised a happy ending and i swear it will happen
> 
> also im sorry this chapter took longer and is shorter!! this one was A Struggle


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody does not get a break, part 7

Cody woke up and wished he hadn’t. He was lying on his side, metal flooring pressed uncomfortably into his face. The air was cold and slightly stale on his tongue. He could faintly hear the distinctive hum of a large starship underneath him and thought distantly of the comforting familiarity of the Negotiator. If this ship was anything like his – the General’s – flagship, Cody knew there would be a patrol making its way through that would see him collapsed and ask potentially inconvenient questions.

He should get up.

But what was the point? Let them see him. Let them ask their questions. It didn’t matter. Even if he could have mustered the will to stand – speak – do anything – his body was too exhausted and in pain, and he doubted he would be able to walk, much less fight or run. So, Cody lay there, pressed against the harsh metal grating, and idly tried to remember when the last time was that he had felt this terrible. Geonosis? That had been pretty bad. Umbara, maybe. That had been its own, special level of karked up. There were so many miserable campaigns to choose from, and Cody almost laughed at the thought that going through a mental holoreel of disastrous battles and brushes with death was preferable to thinking about what Obi-Wan had said to him on that sith-cursed desert planet.

Cody felt something in his chest seize at the memory of that terrible, wrecked look on his General’s face. His fingers curled convulsively around the canteen of water he had been given. He had never seen that expression before on the Jedi – not even when they fought Maul, who Obi-Wan had every reason in the Galaxy to hate. _It made sense,_ Cody thought dully. _Everyone expected the Sith to do evil, to kill and lie and betray. How could anyone have seen the danger come from their own troops, from the men they fought with and died beside?_

They couldn’t have. Even now, Cody could not imagine what could have turned his brothers against the Jedi ( _against their Generals, their friends and comrades_ ). But Obi-Wan had looked so certain – so hurt and broken and alone –

Cody let out a low, keening noise and pressed his forehead into the floor, uncaring of the bite of cold metal into his skin. Even the endless, miserable ache in his bones could not distract him from the suffocating spiral of his thoughts.

He did not know how long he lay there, lost in a haze of pain and despair. A part of him, too conditioned from years of vigilance, noted the sounds of some sort of commotion echoing through the floor. No patrols came by to either question him or put him out of his misery, and he did not have the energy to care either way.

Cody was just starting to feel his awareness fading away when he felt the echoes of footsteps making their way down to him. As far as he could tell, it was only one person, moving quickly. The footsteps stopped briefly, and he faintly heard a small, shocked inhale.

“Oh dear,” said an oddly familiar, slightly reedy voice. “I had hoped – “

Cody blearily pried open his eyes to see a blurry figure dressed in brown kneel down beside his head. Gentle hands on his shoulders lifted him from the floor and propped him against a wall, then dropped down to take the water canteen. He tried to hold onto it, but the hands gently pried his fingers away, then lifted the bottle to his mouth.

Almost despite himself, Cody drank greedily. Immediately, his head felt clearer and he came back to himself enough to focus on the man who had helped him so gently.

Cody’s breath caught, and his eyes filled with tears. Old and tired and so dear, Obi-Wan Kenobi looked back at him. His hair was white and wispy, and deep lines had etched themselves into his face. His gray eyes were the same – kind and wise, and he wore his plain brown Jedi robes with his usual dignity.

“It has been so long,” Obi-Wan said, a wistful note in his voice. “So long since I have last seen your face, my dearest friend.”

For a moment, Cody could hardly understand what he was hearing. He stared silently at his General, still cataloguing the changes age and grief had wrought in that beloved face. He shook himself and tried to gather his scattered thoughts.

“General – I don’t understand. The last time – you said – “

“I am incredibly glad to see you here, my dear Commander. The words I said to you twenty years ago have been a mistake that I am now glad to correct, as they were cruel and unfair,” Obi-Wan said quietly. His eyes bore into Cody’s intensely, and he kept a tight grip on the commander’s hand. “I did not know then what I know now, and I regret… That I can amend them is a gift I had not dared to wish for.”

Relief swept over him so strongly that Cody felt dizzy and weightless, like in the zero-grav simulations he’d had to do on Kamino. It seemed at once too good to be true and incredibly obvious at the same time. _Of course,_ the clones had not betrayed their Jedi. _Of course,_ it was some terrible trick, some lie his General had been told. A corner of his mind rebelled at the sudden lightness Cody felt – no matter what had happened, the Jedi were still dead, and it was unlikely his brothers had fared well in this terrible future. But at least – at the very least, they were not traitors.

“Then, what happened to us? Why – how did the war end?” Cody leaned forward eagerly. All of his pain seemed dulled and shoved to the background.

“The war… It was all set-up from the start, Cody. A manufactured conflict, both sides puppets of the Sith.” Obi-Wan frowned, the expression fitting easily on his weathered face. “The Chancellor was the Sith Master we had searched for, and he was simply waiting for the Galaxy to wear itself down into darkness and despair before he struck his final blow.” The Jedi hesitated for a moment, then his hand moved up to gently press against Cody’s left temple. He brushed his thumb against it softly, a distant look in his eye. Cody recognized that easily – his General was searching for something in the Force. Knowing better than to interrupt, Cody held his breath and waited. His mind was reeling at the revelation that the Chancellor – the man they ultimately served – a _Sith –_

“Yes…” murmured Obi-Wan. “It is just as Bail had told me.” His eyes refocused on Cody. “You and your brothers… When the Kaminoans,” Here he paused, his mouth twisted slightly in distaste. “The Jedi who – _commissioned –_ you was being deceived by Dooku and the Chancellor above him. They ensured that every trooper was implanted with a control chip, one that would wipe away your wills and force you into complete obedience. At the end of the war, the chip was activated and…”

Any lightness Cody had felt before drained away, leaving nothing but horror. He felt bile rise up in his throat and fought it down. Already he and his brothers had so little – already they were hardly treated as sentients, and now to know that so easily everything that they were could be erased – it was unbearable. His lungs burned and his head swam, and he only realized he was crying when warm, calloused hands pressed against his cheeks and wiped away the tears. 

“Shh, Cody, shh… I am so sorry, my dear,” Obi-Wan soothed, pulses of Force energy sending peace and calm through Cody’s shaking frame. “You and your brothers were used in the most evil manner, and I wish we had known enough to stop it.”

“So, we did kill you, in the end,” Cody said dully. “I really had shot you down.”

“No, Cody, that was not you. None of you could have fought against it. We only found out about the chips because Ahsoka managed to escape the Jedi Purge, and freed Rex from the control.”

Cody let out a shaky breath. Rex made it out. If there was anyone who could have, it would have been him. Selfishly, Cody was glad that his at least he, if not any of the other _vode_ , had survived that madness and been freed. They sat there quietly for a moment. Everything that Obi-Wan had said, every shred of relief drowned out under the atrocities of this future, Cody’s tired mind could hardly process it. He felt wrung out from the constant jumps, like he was fraying at the seams. He knew that he should ask where they were, what was happening, how Obi-Wan had lived and gotten old – but he couldn’t muster up the energy, especially with the rushing sound in his ears drawing ever closer. He closed his eyes and tried to push aside the dizziness he felt.

Obi-Wan shifted as if to rise, and Cody snapped out of his daze to grab at the Jedi’s sleeve. “Don’t leave,” he blurted out, then immediately flushed at his own words. He was sure the General was here for a reason, and doubtless he had already spent too much time with Cody. He forced himself to let go of the coarse brown fabric.

“I will not,” Obi-Wan said. Briefly, his gaze went unfocused and he tilted his head as if listening to some quiet call. “Not yet, at least. I will wait with you for as long as you are here.”

“Won’t be too long, General,” Cody answered tiredly. His head was ringing almost unbearably now. “I feel… Pretty karking bad.”

Worry and a faint hint of amusement flashed over Obi-Wan’s face. “You must, if you’re admitting it.” His hands returned to Cody’s temples and the pain receded.

“General… you probably don’t remember.” Cody started. He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word a challenge to get out. “When… when we met before the war began, in the Temple. I asked… if you regret knowing me. I know that now, after everything – I just wanted – “ A sharp pain speared through his head and he broke off. His vision blurred and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open. Through the endless, discordant roar in his ears he could hear labored, rasping sounds. They came rhythmically, almost like some sick parody of breath. Cody struggled to place the noise, but his head rang, and he couldn’t focus.

“I do not regret,” Obi-Wan said, then dry lips pressed against Cody’s forehead and the Jedi stood. The rasping noises were getting closer, and now Cody could feel heavy footsteps through the floor. He glimpsed a sweep of black fabric as an indistinct, hulking figure stepped around the corner, the low hiss of a lightsaber activating, then his eyes fell shut and he knew no more.

The world around him spun, and it spun, and it spun –

And then it stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOW did the rogue one guys do it vader loomed over this chapter and also my soul


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cody gets to panic without the fail safe of yeeting out of the timeline 30 seconds after saying something dramatic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am SO SORRY this took as long as it did i was not prepared for things to start happening in my life now that summer is over
> 
> hope you guys enjoy the final chapter of while the world still turns, aka Commander Cody's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (or two)

Cody drifted in and out of consciousness for a long time. He was faintly aware of warmth, the hushed murmur of familiar voices, and a soft hand brushing over his head. He wanted to open his eyes, but the lack of pain in his limbs and the general feeling of safety dragged him back under, and he slept on.

When Cody woke, he lay still for a moment, marveling at the fact that nothing hurt. His bones did not ache, his head felt clear and light. At most, he was pleasantly drowsy – the soul-deep exhaustion of the past however many days was absent. There was no stabbing behind his eyes, and the only sound he could hear was a low hum that sounded wonderfully, incredibly like the ambient noise of the Negotiator. Now that he was aware enough, he recognized the sharp antiseptic and bacta smell of the medical bay on the starship that was the closest he had ever known to a home, and it took every ounce of his hard-earned self-control not to burst into tears from abject relief. So, the nightmare was over at last, and it seemed he had gotten out of it alive.

A part of him was tempted to just remain lying on the hard, uncomfortable bunk and continue to sleep, but it was too late – Cody was awake, and had to give his report of the absolutely karked, sith-forsaken fever dream of a vision he’d gone through. He had to see Obi-Wan, right away. He sat up, grimacing at the crusty feeling in his eyes and unpleasant taste in his mouth that came from sleeping too long. It was not one he had experienced often, and it was mildly unsettling to wake feeling fully rested. He looked around the med bay and was relieved to see it empty – apparently no disaster had befallen the battalion while he was… wherever he was.

Cody swung his legs down from the bed and was just about to rise, one foot already in the boots that had fortunately been left by his bedside, when he heard a loud squawk from behind him. He did not even have time to turn his head before Helix, the medic of the 212th, descended upon him like a wave of vulture droids.

“Commander! You’re awake!” Helix clicked his tongue disapprovingly at Cody and shone a light into his eyes, completely ignoring Cody’s noise of outrage. “And already trying to get out of bed, without even calling over a medic! I’m not even surprised! Oh no, I’m karking Commander Cody, a three-day Force- _osik_ induced coma is nothing, let me just prance on out and spit in the face of medical supervision, why don’t I? Why, I should just put on my armor and go find a droid or two, why the kriff not –”

“Helix!” Cody barked. He knew from experience that his brother could and would talk almost anyone into submission. “Relax, vod. I just opened my eyes, nobody’s spitting in anyone’s face.”

The medic jabbed his finger viciously into Cody’s thigh. “Oh? Your feet are on the ground, sir, ‘scuse me for thinking you were about to run off. You can’t possibly be in any rush, given that you _have nothing to report, because you’ve been in a COMA.”_

Cody stared, his mouth falling open in slight shock. He laughed, almost helplessly. “Helix, you’d think that, wouldn’t you?” Then, with a decisive motion, he heaved himself to his feet and nudged the sputtering medic aside. “I feel fine. Better than I have in a while, actually. Now, I need to find the General.” Without waiting for any further protests, Cody pulled on his other boot and strode out of the med bay.

The commander moved towards the bridge purposefully. A quick glance through a viewport as he passed by told him that the Negotiator was still in orbit above Ambria, the planet a gray and pink sphere wreathed in pale lavender clouds, suspended and gem-like in the blackness of space. As he walked, Cody hoped desperately that Obi-Wan wasn’t down on the planet, still digging around in that temple, because he needed to speak to him – even just see him – and assure himself that his General was as he’d left him, and not an unhappy old man, aged in grief and ready to die. Cody wanted more than anything to see that beloved face as he knew it best. A part of him quailed at the thought of seeing Obi-Wan and having to explain the fragments of his life Cody had witnessed. Would the Jedi remember? But then, some of what Cody had seen had not yet come to pass. _And it would never,_ Cody thought fiercely. _I’d die first._

Caught in his anxious conjectures, the commander barely had the presence of mind to react when he heard someone call his name. He slowed down reluctantly and turned to face Boil and Wooley, both of whom jogged over to him, beaming.

“You’re awake!” Wooley enthused. “That’s great, sir, we were all really worried!”

“Speak for yourself,” Boil grumbled. “What the hell kind of dikut goes grabbing weird old Jedi shit and knocking himself out? It’s like some kinda bad joke, or one of those cautionary stories we tell shinies to scare the stupid out of them.”

“Don’t be an ass, Boil,” Wooley said mildly. “You were worried too.” He paused, a sly look in his eye. “The General was super freaked out.”

Cody had been unable to stop the smile at their banter and obvious concern, but the mention of Obi-Wan jerked him back into the laser-focus he’d been unable to shake since he woke up. “The General – where is he? I need to see him.”

He ignored Boil dramatically rolling his eyes and the mutter of “Of course that’s what you latch on to,” and stared impatiently at Wooley.

“He’s in his quarters –” Wooley started, but Cody was already moving in that direction. Wooley sighed. “– getting some rest, given that he spent the past three days either at your bedside or ransacking that old ruin for answers. Aaaaand, there he goes.”

Cody heard none of that – he was already most of the way down the corridor. The General being in his quarters was good – certainly better than if they were to speak on the bridge, with gossipy troopers ready and eager to listen in and spread around whatever Cody would say. Yes, in his quarters was better… Cody’s steps faltered for a moment, the sudden memory of the – the kiss – rushing through him in holo-perfect clarity. Oh Force, he’d really kissed his General, hadn’t he. And then, he’d cried on him that one time – and seen him as a half-starved little boy in chains. Cody valiantly stifled a groan of dismay. How in the world was he supposed to remain his usual collected and professional self after the madness of that long, miserable dream? _Not all miserable,_ a part of him noted. He shoved it down and shook himself. He had far more important things to report than a moment of – emotional weakness. _More like two extended days of emotional weakness,_ he thought, scowling, and forged onwards.

He finally reached the entrance to Obi-Wan’s rooms, quietly thankful that the hallways had been empty, and he hadn’t had to stop every ten steps to exchange greetings with any relieved troopers. He felt a little guilty at the thought – he was sure it had been nerve-wracking for them, having their commanding officer laid up from an ailment none of them could understand, and he was eager to speak to all of them and enjoy being surrounded by his brothers after glimpsing a bleak future without them. Now, though, Cody couldn’t focus on anything but the upcoming conversation with his General. He steeled himself and lifted a hand to knock on the door.

For a while, he stood there, waiting for a call to enter that did not come. Sudden fear gripped him and, setting privacy aside, Cody typed in the access code Obi-Wan had given him some time ago and burst into the room, expecting to see – certainly not the General asleep at his desk, the usually well-organized surface covered with scattered sheets of flimsi. Cody’s breath caught, and for a moment he just stared at the Jedi and savored the knowledge that this – this was his Obi-Wan, the one he knew and who knew him. The man looked younger; perhaps in sleep, or perhaps in subconscious comparison to his older, wearier self that Cody had seen last. The commander stepped inside and shut the door as quietly as he could. Obi-Wan looked exhausted, and suddenly all of the urgency drained from Cody and he wanted, more than anything, to sit down beside his cyare and relish the undoubtedly short-lived peace.

He moved forward and walked up to the chair Obi-Wan kept in front of his desk, in case anyone came in with questions. More often than not, it was occupied by Cody, the two of them spending long evenings working through the seemingly endless paperwork, talking, sometimes just sitting in companionable silence.

When Cody moved to sit, the Jedi stirred and lifted his head. For a moment, Obi-Wan stared, then seemed to realize who was standing before him and lurched awake all at once. His eyes lit up, and a brilliant smile lit his face.

“My dear Commander!” His hand gripped Cody’s, warm and firm. “I had hoped to be there when you woke. I am so glad to see you up and unharmed from… the incident.”

Cody smiled helplessly. “Feeling great, sir. It’s good to be back.”

“Please, sit, sit! I confess, I am terribly curious as to what you experienced.” He gestured sheepishly at the papers. “This is all the information the Temple Archives had on the artifact you came into contact with. I had Madame Nu send the records to me post-haste as soon as we got you back onto the ship. I was rather beside myself when you collapsed so suddenly.”

It was clear that Obi-Wan had no new memories of Cody appearing to him throughout his life, and Cody had walked that long, unhappy road by himself. That left a sour taste in the commander’s mouth – like he had seen a carefully guarded, deeply private part of his General, one that, if it had been up to Obi-Wan, he would have never even heard of. There was nothing he could do about that now, however, and he _was_ curious what in the Sith hells had caused all this.

Cody sat and raised an eyebrow at his General. “Yes, Wooley told me that you were looking into it. I should have known that you wouldn’t have gone back here to rest like a normal person.” He barreled onwards before Obi-Wan could protest. “So, what did you figure out?”

Apparently too eager to comment on the rebuke, Obi-Wan launched into his explanation.

“Well, you see, that temple down on the surface once housed a rather fascinating sect of Force-users, much like the Jedi but far more focused on the Unifying Force. They believed that the only way to truly become one with the Cosmos was to die having no regrets, no indecision or uncertainty in their past tying them to the vagaries of the material world. To that end, they had a tool, a rather powerful meditation aid of sorts. It allowed members of the cult who were nearing the conclusion of their lifespan to relive pivotal moments of their life from a… removed perspective, so to speak. They would be able to interact with echoes of their own past and soothe lingering pains, unravel any old doubts. Then they would wake from their meditation, having achieved, as they thought, true enlightenment and peace with their own selves, ready to pass into the Force.” Obi-Wan paused and took a sip of the tea which stood, cold, on the edge of his desk. He leaned forward, eyes glittering. “I suppose you must have seen glimpses, then, of your own experiences? I hope at least some were not unhappy, though I admit you have lived a more difficult life than many sentients.”

Cody sat quietly for a moment, mulling over the General’s words. It explained almost everything, except – “Sir, I don’t… I don’t know what happened, but I did not see my life.” He swallowed convulsively and lifted his head to look Obi-Wan in the eyes. “I saw yours.”

The Jedi reared back, surprise obvious on his face. Behind it, Cody could see something like unhappiness in his eyes. “My life? From… Oh. Well. That is unfortunate. The artifact must have latched onto the nearest Force-sensitive, and I had caught you almost right as you touched it…” He smiled, the expression brittle. “I am sorry, Cody. I doubt that was pleasant for you.”

Cody jerked forward, his hand tightening on Obi-Wan’s. “General, no! I… I am sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. I know I – I invaded your privacy, and even though you are not aware of it, I acted unprofessionally towards you, but.” He swallowed again, his throat dry and aching. He thought of that little boy, struggling with fate and duty, the man forced into responsibility in the wake of loss, the man who stood alone after the end of his world, bowed by grief but not broken. He thought of warm, dry lips brushing his forehead and a gentle farewell. “I… I do not regret.”

The Jedi’s eyes were wide. Cody knew that, with how tightly he held Obi-Wan’s hand and how wildly his heart leapt in his chest, there was no way his feelings weren’t being broadcasted out into the Force like ringing bells. At the moment, he didn’t care.

“Obi-Wan, I am so glad that I could know you as you were before. I wish I could have been by your side then, and now, and for the rest of your life. I wish I could have helped you more, and it burned me each time that all I could do was say a couple words before I was torn away into the next moment.” He steeled himself. “I couldn’t save you on Bandomeer or Melida/Daan. I couldn’t – couldn’t do anything to stop your Master from dying, or the war from starting. But I can do something now, before it’s too late.”

“I know who the Sith Lord is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well thats it folks thats the finish line
> 
> i know there is a lot more to write here; there isn't exactly.... a resolution so to speak. i might write the actual fix it part of this at some point if inspiration strikes, but this was where i had originally planned to end, and it feels like a good enough place to me. i had a wonderful time writing this, and i absolutely was not expecting the response it got, and i am so grateful and happy that you all read it and enjoyed it!! <3 <3 <3
> 
> ps if anyone is curious i have a playlist for this [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hpDG4IV2JMYidmW4FjE2e?si=6jzSZRoEQO-2BXCPMfkhjA]


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